From joining the Tommy Dorsey band at age 19 to playing with Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, and Count Basie to leading his own Grammy nominated ensembles, no drummer alive has created a body of work equal to that of Jeff Hamilton’s. His contributions to the bands of seminal jazz figures such as Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, and Ella Fitzgerald and current stars like Diana Krall and Michael Bublé make him one of the most in-demand drummers of his generation. Join the Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra for an evening featuring Richmond, IN native Hamilton as they play some of the most compelling works from his five-decade career. You won’t want to miss the special Battle Royale with our own superb timekeeper (and Hamilton protégé) Maria Marmarou.

Todd Stoll

In his three-decade career as an educator, administrator, performer and conductor, Todd Stoll has traveled to 4 continents and 22 countries bringing jazz to people of all ages and diverse backgrounds. After a 20-year career as an educator and band leader in central Ohio, Mr. Stoll became the Vice President of Education at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) in New York City, the world’s largest institution dedicated to jazz. Since he joined the organization in 2011, JALC has produced more than 25,000 education events in the US and abroad. In his position there, he has grown the education program exponentially, with a special focus on underserved populations in urban cities across America. JALC’s innovative Essentially Ellington high school jazz band program has expanded during his tenure, providing 300,000 free scores to nearly 7,000 high schools in all 50 states and 57 countries.

An experienced performer, Duke Ellington expert, and jazz advocate, Mr. Stoll founded the Columbus Jazz Youth Orchestra (CJYO) in 1991 to give young people the chance to cultivate a love of jazz through performance. He served as the director until 2011. Under his direction, the CJYO released six CDs, won a DownBeat award, and toured Europe and South America. As a performer, he has appeared with numerous ensembles across several genres and can be heard on Sirius XM radio with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

An in-demand conductor and clinician Mr. Stoll has appeared with numerous all-state ensembles, the NAFME All National Honors Jazz Ensemble, and in Havana, Cuba at renowned music conservatories Amadeo Roldan and La Escuela Nacional de Arte.

Mr. Stoll holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from Miami University. He currently serves on the boards of the Jazz Education Network where he is President; the New York City chapter of Most Valuable Kids; and the National Association for Music Education Policy Roundtable.